Several months ago a friend of mine quit smoking. We bumped into each other at a party, and I asked her how it was going. We spoke about quitting smoking for a few minutes, at which point she said to me,"I know you're well-intended, but all this talk about what I'm trying not to do is making me want to do it."

I've been thinking about her feedback in recent weeks, as I read the tweets and comments from health colleagues related to holiday eating and bingeing. It makes me wonder if this doesn't end up being counterproductive. With all due respect to my colleagues, it is as if the health professionals are as obsessed with holiday eating as the people they want to help.

Obsessing about what you're NOT going to do and what you DON'T want to do isn't any better than doing it. It is still obsessing!

I decided that rather than join in the obsession, to make this blog a safe haven for anyone who prefers to focus on healthy changes. Research shows that when you surround yourself with healthy peers, you're more likely to adopt healthy changes.

So from this point forward, talk of bingeing and holiday excesses will be noticeably absent. We'll focus on modeling healthy behaviors and strive to be your online resource to surround yourself with.

I can't promise it will wash out all the noise you're hearing in other places, but I do promise you'll get positive energy and messages about what kinds of choices constitute healthy living. Hope to see you often during December!